There have been plenty of male action stars, but today, I’ll be listing my favorite female leads/participants (in no particular order). #FeelFreeToList below who out of these #Top20BadAzzes (well 21) are also in your faves. By the way, I will only list the kickass shows/films that I personally enjoyed each in. (P.S. If you dont see your fave listed in MY TOP 21, thats just my opinion, and you are welcome to find the others listed bellw in the honorable mentions.
#1 MILLA JOVOVICH
When i think of a female badass, Milla immediately comes to mind. I absolutely loved her in Resident Evil although most dislike the film series in comparison to the game. I felt she also did amazing in A Perfect Getaway and Monster Hunter (though the film felt a bit rushed and incomplete.) Anyways, my absolute fave of hers will always be Ultraviolet but i think I’ll give The Fifth Element a shot.
#2 HALLE BERRY
Lol now y'all know I can't constantly bring up my fave superheroine being Catwoman and not mention Halle. Sure, y'all hated that film but I freakin loved it!! She was also badass in The Call, Kingsman 2, Kidnap, and the Xmen film series. Im super tempted to see Moonfall but I pray it isn't as disappointing as her show Extant. Dark Tide was not the best but i felt Kings was a bit empowering. In my opinion, Jinx from Die Another Day will go down as one of the best Bond women.
#3 ANGELINA JOLIE
Angelina and i have a love/hate relationship. Same goes for her dad Jon Voight. I disliked her for stealing Brad from Jen. But now that they’re divorced, I can enjoy her films again lol. It took this many years but I finally watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith and holy smokes I’m not surprised she stole the man!! She was soooo fckin badass in that film as well as when she played Lara Croft Tomb Raider. And dont even get me started on her in Beowulf. Malificent was a bad mamma jamma too and i must certainly watch Eternals and Hackers. I admit, she was slackin in Those Who Wish Me Dead and i couldnt get into Sky Captain nor Salt but man she was so badass in Wanted.
#4 JESSICA ALBA
She is anything but invisible yet starring in Fantastic Four will always be my fave. She also killed it in Sin City, Into the Blue, and Spy Kids 4. She tripped me out in Idle Hands. I’m tempted to watch her old show Dark Angel now because she did her thing in LA’s Finest.
#5 VIVICA FOX
She and Lisa Raye are the epitome of badass the moment they walk into a room. I loved her in Independence Day, Set It Off, Idle Hands, and Ride or Die. Her fight scene in Kill Bill will forever be my favorite. I think I’ll check out Hard Corps with her and Jean Claude Hot Damme.
#6 CHARLIZE THERON
She almost didn't make Top 21 But I said nah, let me do some rearranging lol. I first adored her in Mighty Joe Young. But Then i saw her in Trapped and just loved her for standing up to evil ass Kevin Bacon. She freakin killed it in Mad Max Fury Road. In my opinion, she was more the star of that film then Tom himself lol. She also outshined Snow White and The Huntsman as the Queen. I absolutely hated her character in Fast 8/9 but damn she lit it up. She was pretty cool as a superhero in Hancock as well. She did a little sumn sumn in the Italian Job. I know Kubo is an animated film but she still slayed lol. I couldnt get into Atomic Blonde but I think I’ll checkout her films The Old Guard, Aeon Flux, Reindeer Games, and Gringo.
#7 MAGGIE Q
She is one of my fave badass females to watch. I loved her in Live Free or Die Hard, Divergent, and Mission Impossible III. I felt she did amazing in the show Stalker and that it should not have been cancelled. Operation Endgame was pretty smooth. I absolutely have to check out her films the Protege, Naked Weapon, Death of Me, Priest, Three Kingdoms, Gen Y Cops, The Warrior and the Wolf, The King of Fighters, and the show Nikita.
#8 LUCY LIU
I initially listed Cameron Diaz but i couldn’t let her take a spot over Lucy. So i was like nah nah, honorable mention lol. Luce was just too damn kickass in Kill Bill, Charlies Angels, Code Name the Cleaner, and Rise Blood Hunter. Now I’m tempted to watch Lucky Number Slevin, Ballistic, Future World, Cypher, and the Man with the Iron Fists. I can't wait to see her in Shazam 2.
#9 SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR
She’s played a scream queen but even then she was still badass with it lol! She didn't just sit around and get attacked. She’d run or fight back. Have you seen her in I Know What You Did Last Summer? I grew up watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that is why i had to put her in top 21. Plus, she made Daphne look cool as heck in Scooby Doo.
#10 SALMA HAYEK
She grew on me. I found her pretty cool in The Wild Wild West and Savages. However, Everly is what set it off for me. I honestly wasn't crazy about the Hitmans Bodyguard but I think i should try watching the Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. I also need to check her films Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Desperado, After the Sunset, The Vampires Assistant, Bandidas, Road Racers and Eternals.
#11 GINA CARANO
You may say Rhonda, but I say Gina!! I loved her In Fast 6. She kicked butt in Deadpool. I’m almost tempted to give Star Wars a try just to see her play in The Mandalorian. But what did it for me was In the Blood. I absolutely love that film.
#12 ANGELA BASSETT
It all started when Stella got her Groove Back and then went all Tina on Ike because Whats Love Got to Do With It when you’re Waiting to Exhale?! Lol but nah real talk, just her presence is what makes her a badass. She starred in several non-action films, but i had to put her in top 21 after seeing her star in the tv show 9-1-1. I also liked her in Supernova. I wish she got to do some stunts in Black Panther and Olympus Has Fallen because she's too kickass to just sit back and play an old lady. I need to checkout her film Strange Days.
#13 UMA THURMAN
Kill Bill alone is why she’ll forever be unforgettable to me. My Super Ex Girlfriend was also pretty sweet. I couldnt believe she didn't get to kick ass in The House that Jack Built. I want to check out her old film The Avengers.
#14 GRACE PARK
You may know her from Battlestar Gallactica and A Million Little Things but i know her because of the Hawaii Five O reboot. I couldnt help but cheer her on every episode. Im quite mad I forgot to give the whole cast an honorable mention on my last mytake. I need to check her out in Freaks as well.
#15 CATHERINE ZETA JONES
You may remember her from Zorro films. I loved her in those as well! But Entrapment with Sean Connery is what really did it for me. I also liked her in Chicago and Sinbad. Even when she's a chef cookin in the kitchen with No Reservations, she’s still a total badass lol. I couldnt get into Red 1 but i hear she's in Red 2 so I may give it a go.
#16 PRIYANKA CHOPRA
I wouldn't dare forget this woman after seeing Quantico. She’s more than just Miss World 2000 and Nick Jonas’s wife. Baywatch was a sucky movie but she made it watchable. She’s apparently in the Matrix Resurrections and that alone tempts me to skip ahead and watch.
#17 MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ
She can be annoying but she's still the best and the baddest. She’s played amazing as Letty in the Fast & Furious Films. She also starred in Resident Evil, The Assignment, SWAT, Widows, Machete, Avatar, Alita Battle Angel, Girlfight, Battle Los Angeles, Lost, and Blood Rayne. Shoot im surprised she wasn't the new Tomb Raider. She’s apparently going to be in the new Dungeons and Dragons movie (so heads up for all you players out there). I mean the girl has even been Running in the wild With Bear Grylls. Drake even had to include her as one of the many revolutionary women for his music video Nice For What.
#18 GABRIELLE UNION
Okay I know Bring It On and Deliver Us From Eva dont count but she was incredibly badass in those films! She shook up Bad Boys II as well and thats how we got LA’s Finest. Breaking In wasn't that great but I had to list her after seeing her kick butt in Cradle 2 Da Grave as a kid. She, DMX, and Jet Li make a great team.
#19 NAOMIE HARRIS
I enjoyed her in the films as a Bond girl. I loved her in Black and Blue, Rampage, and 28 Days Later. I look forward to checking her out in Venom 2, After the Sunset, Ninja Assassin 2, and Blood and Oil.
#20 KELLY HU
She went from Miss Teen USA 1985 to Miss Hawaii USA 1993 to kickin ass. Nash Bridges, Cradle 2 da Grave, Scorpion King, X2, China White on Arrow, The Librarian, and The Tournament. You may also know her in videogames as Lady Shiva in Batman Arkham Origins, Katana in Infinite Crisis, and D’Vorah in Mortal Kombat.
#21 JAMIE CHUNG
She’s another badass. The Misfits wasn’t the best but her character was cool af. Sucker Punch was really sucky outside the Battlefield scenes but she rocked the outfit. Lovecraft Country has her as a kinda creepy cool kickass character. The Gifted got boring after a while and her costume creeped me out but she still did amazing. She also played Mulan in Once Upon a Time and a scream Queen in Sorority Row. I couldn’t get into Gotham, but I’d like to watch her in, Man with the Iron Fists, Sin City A Dame to Kill, and the old show Samurai Girl.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
So of course, I couldnt list all of the Hot 100 but a lot of them in general would not have made my top 21. Still, I’d like to give a shoutout to the remaining 79 who kicked some azz once in a lifetime
Most Helpful Opinions